What is love?
by RighterWriter
Summary: Doctor Stein uses science to answer the age-old question


"Stein?"

"Hm."

"Do… Do you love me?"

Stein rubbed his eyes. This again? They'd been having a discussion about this for what seemed like years—it had, in fact, been a little over a week. Funny how time seems to drag on when there's an elephant in the room.

"I've already told you," he sighed.

"Shrugs and sighs and eye rolls are all I've gotten from you!"

"Marie…" He opened his mouth to continue, but nothing came out. There was nothing to say. He sighed and shrugged.

"See? Shrug! What does that _mean?_"

"What does a shrug usually mean?"

"It can mean lots of things. What did that one mean?"

"Do you have to get in my face about it?" He leaned away from her and looked over his shoulder—anywhere to avoid that look. You know. _That look._ A long silence drifted between them, then settled down and made itself comfortable. Stein sighed, hoping to blow the pest away, but Silence is a stubborn bugger. It didn't go anywhere. "I don't know." The only thing that did was make Marie look at him more sternly. "I said I don't know!"

"I heard you. How can you not know? You were the one who did it.

Ahh, here was Silence's good friend, Misunderstanding. "Huh? Did what?"

"Shrugged."

"No, I meant I don't know if… What? That doesn't even make any sense."

"Fine. Don't know if you _what_, then?"

"_You _know… I mean, you asked… I don't know, Marie."

"You're saying you don't know if you love me."

"Well… Yeah. I mean, I don't know what… I… How _can _I know?"

"Well, what do you feel when you look at me?" She sounded desperate and more than a little impatient.

"I don't know," he said, equally impatient.

"_How can you not know_." He could tell it was a huge effort for her not to scream at him.

"Well, okay… How am I supposed to know what any of those _emotions_ feel like? I mean, what's the difference between worry and excitement? How can I tell if I'm happy or in love? I don't know what it's like. What's it SUPPOSED to feel like? There's no way to scientifically qualify—"

"It's all science for you, isn't it?"

"Science is the only thing that makes sense to me!"

"_Why can't you just be normal?_" He flinched slightly. Seeing the look on his face, Marie sighed. "I just don't understand how someone could not know what it's like to have emotions."

"I didn't say I don't have emotions. I said I don't know which is which." He shrugged. "There's no way to scientifically expl…" He trailed off. _Yes there is. There are neurological pathways that activate when certain emotions flare up, and certain chemicals are released in response to various stimuli. If I could find peer-reviewed studies and do a functional MRI…._

"Stein?" She waved her hand in front of him, looking concerned. "Are you there?"

"Yes. Yes, I just… I have stuff to do."

"But this conversation isn't over!"

"You're right. Let me do something first."

She shrugged sharply and stormed into the kitchen. _Why do arguments always end that way?_ he thought. _Must be a woman thing_. He walked to his computer desk and started researching.

It was two weeks before Stein was ready to finish the conversation. The results did not please him. Or did they? He didn't know. Was this happiness or dismay? He decided it was something in between—utter confusion.

"Marie," he said. She was grading papers at the kitchen table.

"Hm?"

"I… I have something to tell you." He was holding a large folder which was labeled 'FMRI S243'.

"Oh my God, is everything okay?" she asked, getting up.

"I don't know. I mean… I guess. I think so. It must be."

"Stein, what are you talking about?"

"I think… I…" He took a deep breath. _Oh, for cripes sake. It's just words._ But evidently there was emotion attached to those words, according to the MRI. "I think I'm... that is to say that I…"

She looked at him.

She blinked.

She grinned.

"I mean, the study shows that when I see a picture of you, certain areas of my hypothalamus and cerebellar vi- _Would you stop looking at me like that?_" He hadn't meant to shout it, but this was hard enough as it was.

"Say it."

He paused, expecting her to elaborate. She didn't. "Say what?"

"_It._"

Oh. That. He writhed uncomfortably. "I…" That expectant look on her face made things harder. "Marie… I…" That tilt of her head. "I…" The words wouldn't fit around the stone in his throat. _Spoonful of sugar… say it scientifically._ "According to the FMR—"

"No. No science, no uncertainty… Just real emotion."

_Well there went THAT idea.  
_

"I… I give a damn about you." This obviously wasn't what she'd been expecting. "If it's any consolation, I don't give damns out to just anyone."

"Stein…"

"What? Look. Just because the neural pathways—"

"_Stein._"

"It isn't a conclusive—"

"_SAY IT!_"

"I LOVE YOU!"

There was no Silence in this silence. There was a smile.

"There, was that so hard?"

"Yes, actually."

"Well. You never have to say it again, okay?"

"….Okay."


End file.
